Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Story of our poetic wanderings – Video test

Video test Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Story of our poetic wanderings

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After restoring Nibel’s antlers to their former glory, the shiny-haired little creature named Ori crashes into the threatening lands of Niwen. The pretty creature will have to find Kun, the only child of Kuro, and get their hands on wisps lost in the four corners of this strange universe.

To this end, the Sylvan spirit now has weapons to defeat its opponents. This obviously makes the fights more dynamic and interesting, to the point where those of Blind Forest seem very obsolete today. And fights, there is a lot in Will of the Wisps! Against gigantic bosses to start, nice novelty of this second opus, superbly animated and with vicious shots. These epic encounters do not hesitate to alternate pure struggle and flight in sets that leave in pieces. The more classic adversaries are also present and evolve as the adventure progresses. They can be faced in waves in dedicated events that allow Ori to gain power.

With the many skills and passive powers to equip, the game of Moon Studios gains in depth. The player is invited to efficiently manage the X, Y and B buttons on his controller to juggle between the chosen skills, and thus create pretty destructive choreographies. Above all, it must tame the LB, RB and RT triggers, keys on which the projections, the sending of the grab, the dodge, the load and the ability to hover are configured. This gameplay, which is more focused on action and quick movements, is one of the main strengths of the title.

The world map, promised three times larger by the developers, is made up of areas with varied atmospheres like the desert, mountains, beach or forest, to name only the main ones. Thanks to the new movements which are gradually won, the progression is done without dead time and the ideas of gameplay are linked. Sometimes you have to follow a firefly in the darkness, sometimes you have to create trajectories with air bubbles to make your way. Even if we find some repetitions with Blind Forest on certain game situations, Will of the Wisps is a delight every moment.

The larger universe does not necessarily mean that the epic is much longer than that of the first installment. Indeed, the end credits take a dozen hours to be displayed. This is explained by the fact that the game is more accessible, easier in fact. Automatic checkpoints no longer encourage the player to advance cautiously, and passive powers make it too easy to regain hit points. The better managed hitbox is also a more notable one that leads to less frustrating progress.

Those who love to search everywhere will be delighted to carry out the side quests in order to help the Mokis, and to rebuild the village of Clairières de la Source populated by various NPCs almost all of whom have services to sell (for cash, ore or a few seeds). This little welcome addition is not transcendent, the fault of side quests fedex. The Hollow Knight aspect is certainly there.
Speedrun enthusiasts will be able to rub the ghosts of other players in special tests.

Beautiful to die for, endowed with sublime music and immersed in a poetic atmosphere, the title of Moon Studios is indeed the great adventure that we have been waiting for. He manages to deliver to players what they loved five years ago, namely a pretty story, escape sequences and arduous platform passages, while revitalizing what should have been. In a very competitive genre, the Metroidvania’s young shoot has definitely grown.

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